Fatherhood is something that isn't talked about much these days. I feel like there are constant posts about how to be a better mother, how to survive the toddler stages as a mom, how to get gum out of mom's hair, how to get 5 minutes to yourself as a mother, how to be a rockstar Pinterest mom, how stressful life is during motherhood but what about dads? This guy is constantly showing me how to be a better parent. He is the problem solver in our partnership. He is the leader. He teaches, he listens and he stresses. He wants to raise these boys to be good, kind, strong men and that's a hard job for him too. So today, I raise a glass to all the dads. It may not be Father's day, but they deserve a little daily recognition too.

I guess I’ll finish off the moon theme I’ve got going on here. I took these during the beginning of the eclipse last night. Everything After was foggy/cloudy because of the cloud cover. But I do love these. 💕

• As I look at this picture, I can’t help but get emotional. Maren was about 3 days old and it’s pretty apparent that I had no idea what I was doing. One thing was for sure though, and that was that I loved her with every fiber of my being. I couldn’t fail her, I didn’t want to fail her.
.
.
My postpartum journey has NOT been an easy one. I can recall the early days when I would lock myself in the bathroom and cry, and even now, I have moments where I feel like I’m doing everything wrong. Luckily, I have people in my life who are helping me and supporting me. And for that I am incredibly grateful.
.
.
For any new moms [or soon to be moms] out there, hormones are real. They are mean, nasty little booger’s that turn us into someone we don’t recognize. If you have moments where you’re scared, that’s ok. If you have moments when you feel helpless, or mad, or you want to cry...that’s ok too.
.
.
Just remember help is everywhere!! Mental health is such an important issue that never really gets talked about. Postpartum depression is real so please don’t ever think you’re alone.
.
.
I’m not gonna end this caption by saying, everything gets better, because honestly, I have no idea if it does!! What I do know is that motherhood is hard. And I think our precious little ones are so worth it 💛
.
.
“Motherhood is a choice you make everyday, to put someone else's happiness and well-being ahead of your own, to teach the hard lessons, to do the right thing even when you're not sure what the right thing is...and to forgive yourself, over and over again, for doing everything wrong.” - Donna Ball. •
.
.
.#teammotherly#unitedinmotherhood#momswithcameras#mommymoments#toddlersofinstagram#babiesofinstagram#bestofmom#simplymamahood#honestlymothering#cameramama#raisingthefuture#documentyourdays#motherly#instamama#momlifestyle#mytinytribe#motherhoodintheraw#mumswhostyle#littlemomentsofhappiness#mamasgotthis#postpartum#mentalhealth#happyhealth#ipreview via @preview.app

I kept her off from the childminder today because she wasn’t right this morning. She’s had a cold for a week or so, but it’s turned into a really nasty cough. She didn’t get much sleep last night, so the ice lolly in bed and couple of hours sleep was just the ticket!

I get a bit antsy because pretty much every year around this time she ends up with a wheezing episode that lands her at the emergency doctor and then inevitably in A&E. I’m thankful that it has only ever resulted in a nebuliser treatment followed by a take home inhaler (yay...) but it still sucks. I had asthma as a child, so I worry that she will too.
Fingers crossed this year she has a bit of an easier time with it! Until then, it’s ice lollies, calpol and hope for the best! I’m hoping she will be able to go back to the childminder in the morning as she missed all of her friends today.